


Blessings

by routa



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bernadetta von Varley's Father's Bad Parenting, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Shovel Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/routa/pseuds/routa
Summary: When Ferdinand proposes to Bernadetta, he wants to do things the proper way and ask for the blessings of a parent or a sibling-figure. Indeed, Bernadetta may have cut all ties to her terrible father, but surely there are some people she still looks up to.Or: Ferdinand gets the shovel talk from an unexpected source.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Bernadetta von Varley, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 71





	Blessings

It was, in retrospect, Ferdinand’s own fault. He had been the one who had insisted on doing things the proper way. And he certainly did not regret any of that. If one did not do things the proper way, then what was the point? Especially when it came to marriage. Marriage to a wonderful young lady, who deserved all the good things in the world.

As far as Ferdinand knew, Bernadetta had not yet had many good moments in her life, and he had been determined to change that ever since they had become friends at the Officers Academy. She had been a skittish, scared little thing who hid away in her room and spent all of her time either lost in her art and her crafts or afraid of the outside world. It broke Ferdinand’s heart to think about it even now, when Bernadetta had managed to gain enough courage to come out of her den more often. When she had been brave enough to fight in a war and even talk to strangers. Brave enough to spend more time with Ferdinand, smile shyly at him over a perfectly brewed cup of tea. Ferdinand was not quite sure at which point his heart had begun to flutter at the sight of her smile, but did it really matter? What mattered was that he loved her. She was a gentle flower – a violet! With her lovely purple hair and delicate features! – who struggled to grow despite shying away from the sun, despite a father who had locked her away – and whom Ferdinand would never forgive.

Indeed, Bernadetta truly deserved to be loved, deserved to know that she was cherished! She deserved perhaps more than Ferdinand could give her. Ferdinand had made sure that his proposal was a romantic one. Romantic, but also calm and not too outlandish so that it would not frighten Bernadetta, who had been frightened by the world enough by now. He had arranged for it to happen in a small, quiet spot in the garden of his estate, away from prying eyes and intrusive people. Bernadetta had been visiting, and Ferdinand had prepared her favourite tea and even procured some of her favourite flowers despite not being very infatuated with them himself. The pitcher plants sat in a flower pot that was perhaps too delicate for their passively violent existence, out of place despite Ferdinand’s best efforts to choose a tea set that matched them.

However, Bernadetta loved them, much to Ferdinand’s relief. And when Ferdinand offered her a ring, she was over the moon with joy. Ferdinand’s heart nearly stopped out of sheer happiness.

Bernadetta’s only fear was her father, as it had always been. Ferdinand’s face fell at that. He had once thought that the only father he could truly dislike was his own, but Count Varley had proven him wrong with the way he had treated his daughter. Even now, after Bernadetta had cut all ties to her former house, he continued to haunt her. Ferdinand doubted Count Varley would have disapproved of their marriage, had he still benefited from it. After all, marrying Bernadetta off was all her father had ever wanted. In fact, Ferdinand and Bernadetta’s parents had at one time attempted to arrange a marriage between them, though Ferdinand had dissuaded them from it at the time because of silly rumours and fear born from ignorance, something he was glad about now. Had he accepted back then, they probably would have not loved each other as sincerely as they did now.

“Do not worry,” he said, “I promise your father will never hurt you again.”

He wished he could be certain that was true. And he wished that he could somehow undo the worst marks Bernadetta’s father’s abuse had left on her. But he could not, and it broke his heart even as he tried to smile and focus on their happiness. He sighed.

“Still, it does sadden me that I cannot ask for a father’s blessing. I do want everything done properly.”

“I don’t really want his blessing,” Bernadetta mumbled into her hands.

“I know, but someone else’s maybe? Do you not have anyone you look up to like one would to a parent? Or perhaps you have someone to pass as an older sibling, who could at least warn me to never hurt you?”

He grabbed Bernadetta’s hands and gazed into her sombre yet beautiful grey eyes. Some five years ago, he might have thought that he could be the best for Bernadetta, the best for anyone. But now…

“If anyone comes to mind, I would love to talk to them. Your acceptance is all I need, if you so wish, but I also want you to know that I respect you and cherish you enough to surrender myself to the evaluation of those closest to you!”

Bernadetta giggled, a most wonderful sound, and then said:

“Um… okay. If you insist. I… think I can think of some.”

There were few people Bernadetta felt comfortable around. Ferdinand was glad to be one of them. The others were their old professor, now a great leader; a knight named Alois, who reminded Bernadetta of her late uncle; and a few friends from the Academy. Both the professor and Alois had given Ferdinand their blessings with varying degrees of smiles, the professor with their subdued, gentle one, and Alois with a hearty laugh to accompany his. It had been an easy affair, as Ferdinand had expected, but he still could not help a wave of relief pass over him. He was not quite sure why he felt that it was so important. Perhaps because he wanted everything to be perfect, more than he had ever wanted before. He had always wanted to be the best, but now it was even more important because it was not for him. Or perhaps it was just normal to feel nervous at the face of one’s first true love.

Yes. Perhaps.

After a couple of days as the professor’s guest, Ferdinand returned to his estate, ecstatic and eager to start planning a lovely wedding with his future wife. Of course, he would have to also keep taking care of the Aegir territory. The war and his late father had left it in a bit of a state, but Ferdinand was determined to fix his father’s mistakes and not take his regained noble status lightly. But if he was as efficient as he always strived to be, it would be no problem to also steal some moments away for wedding plans. And of course for Bernadetta herself, who had agreed to stay in Ferdinand’s estate already. They could maybe start planning right away, in fact, if-

Ferdinand stepped into his office and his thoughts ground into a halt. A figure was sitting behind Ferdinand’s desk. Had Ferdinand not recognised the intruder instantly, he would have called for the guards and gone for his sword. But for the moment, at least, he settled for slight confusion.

“It is good, if surprising, to see you,” he said as smoothly as he could, “I must ask, what are you doing here?”

The person in the chair smiled with painted lips, the look in his eyes sharp enough to slice through metal. Ferdinand was not very familiar with Yuri Leclerc, and he had never been entirely sure what to think about him. He lived underground among people who were shunned by the society, but Ferdinand was also fairly sure he had been a guest if not more in all the noble houses of Fódlan. He was apparently a thief and a scoundrel with his own gang of rogues, but he seemed to still have an honourable spirit. Whenever Ferdinand had seen him, he had always been amicable towards almost everyone, but right now he managed to look very intimidating despite his fair face and smooth smile.

“I was in the area and heard Bernadetta was here,” Yuri said, “So I decided to pay a visit. She told me about your engagement.”

“Oh?”

“Congratulations and all that,” Yuri said and stood up from Ferdinand’s desk chair, “But you know, as Bern’s friend, I’ve got a couple of questions for you.”

He stalked closer to him, like a cat appraising his prey. He should not have been as intimidating as he suddenly was. He was shorter than Ferdinand, and Ferdinand knew for a fact that he could overpower Yuri if it came to a contest of sheer strength. But still… Yuri’s usual charm had morphed into something else. Something sharp and dangerous like a knife in the dark. In the fading light, his carefully applied eyeshadow reminded Ferdinand of warrior markings. Ferdinand was also reminded of the stories about the Savage Mockingbird, the lord of Fódlan’s underworld, who did not hesitate to get rid of anyone who got in their way or targeted their people. He had absolutely no proof that Yuri and the Savage Mockingbird were the same person, but thanks to the things he knew and the vague clues his friend Constance had occasionally given, he also would not have been surprised if they were.

“Um… very well?” Ferdinand managed, now completely perplexed and more than a little uneasy.

Yuri laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh. He gestured towards the desk.

“Sit down. Let’s talk.”

It was not a request. Normally, Ferdinand would not let himself be intimidated into complying like this. He was, after all, Ferdinand von Aegir. He had been raised as the next prime minister, ready to do his part in ruling a nation. He had fought in a war and survived the loss of everything he had, then regained it through his own hard work – and perhaps a little bit of help from the professor. He had faced demonic beasts and deadly soldiers. But he was, admittedly, currently at quite a loss with this whole conversation. And he also remembered seeing Yuri dart around a battlefield, get what seemed to be a whole battalion of soldiers go after him, and walk away from a pile of corpses moments later without so much as a smudge in his makeup. Several times, in fact, over the course of the war. It was perhaps best to play it safe.

Ferdinand sat down behind his desk in an attempt to regain some control of the situation while he tried to understand what was going on. He had known that Bernadetta was friends with Yuri, but as far as he knew, they had not interacted much after the war. It made sense, since Yuri had been very busy with… whatever it was that he did. Ferdinand was fairly sure that not all of it was quite reputable.

“So,” Yuri said, leaning to the edge of Ferdinand’s desk, “I’m sure you know enough about Bernadetta’s life to know that until she came to the Academy, all of her relationships were, let’s say complicated at best.”

“Of course,” Ferdinand said.

“And you probably know a thing or two about her dear old dad especially.”

“I do,” Ferdinand sighed, “He is truly a disgrace to nobility.”

“You think so?” Yuri laughed, “What do you think nobles are like, then?”

“I know they _should_ be an example to others,” Ferdinand replied at once. This at least was something he could talk about with conviction, “They should be the very pinnacle of manners, poise, and refinement. They should rule justly and serve the people the way only they can. They should use their power for the good of everyone!”

“Right. I’ve read storybooks too. But we both know that’s not really how it goes, yeah? I’ve known a whole bunch of nobles in my life, and I can tell you that most of them are like Count Varley; just different varieties of scum in fancy clothes.”

At this point, he started pacing. The clicking of his heels on the floor sounded like the footsteps of death itself.

“Some abuse their kids ‘ _for the good of the bloodline’_ ,” he went on with a note of bitterness in his voice, “Some take advantage of desperate children, and some are just plain greedy and tax their people dry. Some do all of that and then some. It’s telling that the _best_ thing I can say about Count Varley is that he once had a kid beaten up for a fairly justifiable reason, and _even then,_ he’s not the worst noble I’ve met.”

“Bernadetta has cut all ties with him,” Ferdinand said, “She was so brave when she did that. She never looked back.”

“I heard. That’s good. But this is not about Count Varley, not really. This is about _you_.”

He leaned forward again, suddenly back at the edge of the desk. Ferdinand was almost startled.

“Me?” he managed.

“Yeah, you. Are you gonna keep being _the true noble_ you’ve always gone on about? Or will you be like the others?”

“What?! I would _never_ hurt her!” Ferdinand laid his hand on his chest, now quite affronted by the whole conversation. How did this… _thief_ think he had the right, barging into his home and interrogating him? With questions that dredged up Ferdinand’s insecurities in the most inconvenient way, no less! “I love Bernadetta! I would do anything to keep her happy and safe, free from fear and in a home full of love!”

Yuri smiled again, his most poisonous smile so far.

“Pretty words,” he said, “Make sure it’s not _just_ words. Because if you do slip up and hurt her, I’ll come after you. And trust me, you don’t want that. You’d be bleeding out in a ditch before you’d even realise what hit you.”

Ferdinand opened his mouth, but found no words to actually say. He wondered whether he should have called for the guards after all. Yuri sighed almost dramatically.

“You know, I think that you’re too naïvely _nice_ to actually do anything bad on purpose. So I won’t need to get any more graphic. Right? Or do I? Was this the kind of talk you wanted? Or did you want something more ominous? I’ll have you know that if you want me to stab this desk for effect, then I won’t be paying for the damages.”

Wait, what?

“What?” Ferdinand choked out, “Excuse me? What do you mean ‘the talk I wanted’?”

“Bern told me that you wanted to go for the blessings and the ‘if you ever hurt her’ with this whole engagement business.”

“Well, yes, but I… wait, Bernadetta asked you to… wait, _you_?” Ferdinand said and was acutely aware of how stunted and inelegant his speech was at the moment. How embarrassing, but it could not be helped. Yuri spread his arms.

“Why not?" he said, "I was her first friend, and apparently the closest thing she could think of to fill the, as she put it, scary big brother -role,” Yuri wiped a hand across his face and looked almost embarrassed all of a sudden, “Not the worst part I’ve played, but still, are we done? Because I’d like to get this over with.”

“I… um… yes,” Ferdinand said, “Thank you. I was genuinely frightened. And confused.”

“Good. Now seriously, though, why exactly did you want this? The blessings, the shovel talk? It feels like a whole bunch of nothing straight from a cheesy romance novel.”

“I thought that it would be proper,” Ferdinand said, and it was only his idealism – one that even the war had not managed to completely stamp out – that kept him from feeling very embarrassed, “Because I think she is worth it. That she deserves to feel that I care about her and appreciate her enough to not think that I can just assume I am worthy of her.”

“Okay, I guess that’s your way of saying that you feel surprisingly insecure about yourself when it comes to this.”

“What?” Ferdinand gasped, but then he chuckled, “Yes, I suppose I do. Before the war, I would have thought there was nothing I could not achieve, nothing I could not be worthy of if I just worked hard enough. But the war was… it showed me that it is not true at all. That there are so many things I cannot do. Now, I am not sure if I can be the perfect husband Bernadetta deserves.”

This time Yuri’s smile was far more genuine.

“And that, friend, is called growing up. Glad you tried that out. Though I suppose war does that to you whether you want it or not. For what it’s worth, I think you’re okay.”

“Really?”

“Sure. You’re not clever enough to be truly mean, and you’re naïve enough to make that storybook crap work. And you’re already doing better than your father at the whole ruling thing. Not that _that’s_ hard to do.”

“Thank you… I think.”

Yuri sighed.

“What I'm saying is, I may not have much experience on actual, honest affection and good, genuine relationships, but you’re one of the few people I’ve met that I can actually trust to really pull that off. Because I know you believe in what you’re saying, and that you’ll do anything in your power to figure out how to do this thing right.”

The relief and the happiness Ferdinand had felt after the professor and Alois’ approval was back again. He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling rather bashful.

“Thank you,” he said, “Truly.”

He stood.

“Did Bernadetta invite you to stay for long? I hope you at least have time for a cup of tea. And once more, thank you for taking part in this little farce of mine. With your speech, and the threats. It really was convincing.”

“You do realise I was serious about everything I said, right?”

“I… you were?”

Yuri patted his shoulder.

“Relax! As long as you don’t screw this up, you’ve got nothing to worry about! So, now that we’re friends, let’s go find your future wife and have that tea, yeah?”

**Author's Note:**

> Gaaaah I have to post this real quick before my flow stops and I start to think everything's garbage again!
> 
> I've been a Fire Emblem fan from the Tellius games onwards, and after Fates, which didn't interest me that much, Three Houses brought my love for this series back, big time.
> 
> So I watched Ferdie and Bernie's A support, went, "cute" and then for some reason imagined Ferdie getting the shovel talk from Yuri. Maybe because it would be funny maybe? And because I love Yuri and Bern's childhood friends/brother-sister dynamic (so I ship them in the sense that I want them to be good friends forever). Also it was fun to write Ferdie and Yuri's conversation because of the contrast in their personalities and the way they talk.
> 
> I might do more FE3H character study-ish things later? Maybe? The most likely candidates for my fic-writing are Yuri, Dimitri and Bern because they're my favourites, as well as Byleth because they're an interesting concept to delve more into and I also do like them as a character a lot. Although FE3H has a lot of other super fun and interesting characters to study more as well... Or then my fanfic-writing could be stuck to unfinished stuff again for who knows how long, so anything could happen, really.
> 
> Take care, guys!


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